Crowley Responds to Pelosi’s ‘Crumbs’ Remarks: I Don’t Want to ‘Diminish’ Any Increase in Take-Home Pay

The chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, Rep. Joe Crowley (D., N.Y.), indicated on Wednesday that certain messaging from Democrats that berates recently enacted Republican tax cuts is unhelpful.

A reporter asked Crowley at a press conference about House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi's (D., Calif.) comments referring to employee wage increases and bonuses that resulted from the tax law as "crumbs."

"On the tax bill now, Democratic messaging, do you think it's an effective strategy to call these bumps in paychecks, however small or not, ‘crumbs'?" a reporter asked.

"I think for people making $40,000 a year, any increase in their take-home is significant for them, and I don’t want to diminish that at all," Crowley responded.

Crowley defended Democratic displeasure with the effects by noting that bonuses aren't repeating.

"These are not in perpetuity. What about next year? What about the year after that? What I think people are looking for is an increase in their pay," he said.

That's why Crowley wants to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour.

"I am not saying we want everyone making $15, but we know all boats rise when you raise up for the least of us as well. That’s what the American worker is looking for," Crowley said.

Conor BeckEmail Conor | Full Bio | RSSConor Beck is a Media Analyst for the WFB. He's previously written for The College Fix, Life News, and was a Student Free Press Association Fellow for The Weekly Standard. He graduated from Rice University in 2017.